1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infant feeding bottle and, more particularly, to an infant feeding bottle system having an agitator for mixing a powder substance with a liquid. More particularly, the system can mix a powdered substance and a liquid in a disposable liner. The system provides for improved mixing and allows for uninterrupted mixing and feeding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The traditional infant feed bottle has a rigid bottle body having an open upper end, a nipple and a fastening ring used to affix the nipple to the open upper end of the bottle body. The traditional bottle does not efficiently and adequately mix powdered baby formula with a liquid. To mix powdered baby formula with a liquid using a traditional infant feed bottle requires the following steps: (1) add a specified amount of liquid to the rigid bottle body, (2) add a certain amount of powdered formula, (3) affix the nipple to the rigid bottle body with the fastening ring, and (4) hand shake the infant feed bottle until the powdered formula is adequately dissolved in the liquid. This process is deficient in that undissolved lumps of powdered formula are often formed. This can lead to congestion of the nipple outlet, thus affecting the free flow of fluid out of the nipple and resulting in unnecessary waste.
A number of rigid infant feeding bottles have been designed to improve the bottle formula mixing process. For example, bottles have been designed that use separate compartments to keep a powdered formula and a liquid separated until mixing is desired. Typical designs for this type of bottle utilize a displaceable partition that separates the compartments. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,802 to Caola describes a baby bottle having an insert that forms a storage compartment for holding powdered formula prior to being mixed with a liquid stored in the bottle. To mix the formula with the liquid, a user pushes on a nipple assembly fastened to the bottle to displace a seal that separates the storage compartment from the liquid in the bottle. This action provides a passage for the liquid and powdered formula to combine in the bottle and storage compartment. The bottle can then be shaken to facilitate the dissipation of the formula into the liquid.
It is also known to provide a rigid infant feeding bottle or system having a device that facilitates in the mixing of powdered formula into liquid. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,369 to Tseng, describes an infant feeding bottle with a mixing element mounted on an affixing ring and having a stirring body made up of stirring ribs that protrude inwardly from the ring into the bottle.
Another example of a device designed and used to facilitate in the mixing of powdered formula into liquid is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,114 to Ghavi. This patent describes a device that can be attached to a baby bottle and uses a mixing disc having a plurality of uniformly spaced arms radiating from a central post that act as a handle to aid in the handling of the mixing disc. The arms of the mixing disc have a diamond shaped cross section to produce multiple shear points and increase turbulence during the mixing process.
It is also known to provide an infant feeding bottle with a non-rigid liner-type or disposable feeding system that uses a sterilized and disposable liner that is removably supported within a rigid tubular holder. An example of this type of disposable feeding system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,542. This disposable liner infant feeding system is popular among parents that are mobile and often unable to find facilities that are adequate to wash and/or sterilize infant feeding devices. However, there are problems with this system. The process is clumsy and time consuming. The required steps include: (1) pour liquid and powdered formula into a rigid container and shake or stir until the powder formula is adequately dissolved into the liquid, (2) remove a nipple and fastening ring from a holder and pour the liquid formula mix into a liner, and (3) reaffix the nipple and fastening ring to the holder and proceed with feeding an infant.
An alternative is to mix the powdered formula and liquid directly inside a disposable liner assembled in a holder. The problem with this is that, in a non-rigid disposable liner, the powdered formula does not dissolve in a liquid as well when shaken. The liquid tends to move with the liner, thereby creating less turbulence within the liner for the powdered formula to dissolve into the liquid. This inefficient mixing process results in a lumpy liquid formula mix.